Jenna Mammina
Jenna Mammina | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 September 1964 St. Joseph, MI, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, Americana |
| Occupation | Shoo Bop Enthusiast |
| Labels | Mamma Grace |
| Website | jennamammina |
Jenna Mammina is a jazz and pop singer (vocal stylist) from Michigan.
Biography
[edit]Mammina was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and began singing in church from the age of five and performing in school musicals.[1] In her teens, Mammina learned to play piano and guitar, performing with local bands.[1] She attended Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Laney College in Oakland, before settling in San Francisco.[1]
After session work with The Spinners and Narada Michael Walden,[2] Mammina has gone on to record five albums, all released on her own label, Mamma Grace.[1] Mammina, who performs as many as 250 times a year, has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Watson, Nancy King, Andy Narell, and Steve Coleman.[1] Derk Richardson, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, picked her debut album, Under the Influence, as number nine in his top albums of 1999.[3] Her second album, Meant to Be, was nominated for a California Music Award in the Outstanding Jazz Album category.[4]
Mammina is also a music educator, presenting workshops titled "Scat for Cats" and "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star'" in schools and universities.[1]
Musical style
[edit]Mammina combines folk music, pop, and jazz, often performing with guitarist Andre Bush. She covers a wide range of music, including songs ranging from Abbey Lincoln (her idol) to Elvis Costello, U2, and Tom Waits, as well as original compositions.[2][1][5] Her voice has been described as "sweet and flexible",[6] "whisper-like" with "air-brushed phrasings and silky nuance",[7] and less flatteringly, as "tiny, thinnish, high-pitched".[8]
Mammina says of her style:
"I don't want to categorize the music. It's not that I don't know who I am. I don't sing classical, and I'm not a soul singer, or an R&B singer, but I have been influenced by that stuff too. I can sing a Patsy Cline tune, a James Taylor tune, or a Led Zeppelin tune, but I do it with my own flair."[9]
Discography
[edit]- Under the Influence (Mamma Grace, 1999)
- Just a Little Bit (Mamma Grace, 2000)
- Meant to Be (Mamma Grace, 2002)
- Art of the Duo with Andre Bush (2003)
- Inner Smile (Mamma Grace, 2005)
- Live at the Acorn Theater (Mamma Grace, 2007)
- Yule Tunes (Mamma Grace, 2011)
- The Music & the Magic of Ms. Abbey Lincoln (Mamma Grace, 2013)
- Spark with Rolf Sturm (Water Street Music, 2015)
- Begin to Dance with Rolf Sturm (Water Street Music, 2017)
- Everyone I Love is Here Jenna and the Charmers (Mamma Grace, 2019)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Yanow, Scott "Jenna Mammina Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ a b Richardson, Derk (2001) "It's 'Dirty Work,' But Jenna Mammina's Got To Do It: Bay Area jazz vocalist reworks new rock standards", San Francisco Chronicle, 30 August 2001
- ^ Richardson, Derk (1999) "One Picky Critic's Top Albums of 1999", San Francisco Chronicle, 30 December 1999
- ^ Selvin, Joel (2003) "Cammies to be a free concert: Donnas lead music awards with eight", San Francisco Chronicle, 13 March 2003
- ^ Elwood, Philip (2001) "Jenna Mammina's free-spirited cabaret busts the fourth wall: Singer's interactive style creates a house-party atmosphere at Yoshi's", San Francisco Chronicle, 6 September 2001
- ^ Tanow, Scott "Art of the Duo Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ Edelstein, Paula "Meant to Be Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ Nastos, Michael G. "Under the Influence Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ^ Gilbert, Andrew (19 December 2002). "Big Range Rider: Local fave Jenna Mammina returns to Carmel with her genre-hopping repertoire". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
External links
[edit]| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
